Help!! Climber Went A.W.O.L.!

[Jack Neary]

Guys,
Well, it happened...
Thought I was very careful with closing tank lids on my 2 tanks. The first terrarium I purchased was a 10-Gallon tank (too small) I used this to keep my 2 smaller juvenial Garters. This tank did not come with a screen top, so I purchased a generic screen top for it. I trusted the weight of the top keep my 2 juvenial Garter's in (Checkers and Climber)
Climber is a WC that I have had since early July and has grown nicely over the past month to where I started doubting if the screen top would be heavy enough if Climber wanted to go AWOL....
Well, earlier tonite, I decided to tidy up Climber and Checkers tank and refill their water bowl, and I only saw Checkers...?
I didn't think much about it at first as I thought Climber would pop-up from the Carefresh substrate I use, as he has done many times before. Not this time...
I began to more franticly dig up all the Carefresh until I completely made a mess out of their tank. Checkers said nothing covering for Climbers escape... $#@! snakes all stick together!
When I found climber early last month, he just sat in the grass looking at me. It was strange, he did not fuss, Bite or musk me when I first picked him up. Every time I went into his tank over the past month to clean it and replace the water, Climber would immediately come to my hand and proceed to try and climb up my arm with little hesitation (Hence the name..!). Checkers would just get out of my way...
Climber would always have to be watched ANY time I took the screen top off his tank to grab worms or grab the newly filled water bowl. I swear he would be vertical in the tank more than he was ever sliding around!
I have seen him leverage his body, when I first caught him, under the lid of the screen top, but, at the time he was too small to leverage any upward pressure to go AWOL... It's ironic, as I had been thinking Climber has grown a lot in the past 30 days I have had him and I should move him into my 20-gal tank with the sliding screen escape proof top. Well, in all the past excitement over taking care of my new 20 babies on Saturday and Sunday, I had not paid much attention to Checkers and Climber. Shoulda, woulda and coulda...
I'm new at collecting Garter's and don't know what exact species Climber was, but he was light brown with beautiful orange color running down his sides and was by far the most friendly, spunky snakes I care for.. (Sniff, sniff tear....)
I sit here in my basement, where I have all my Garter's, writing this post hoping I will see Climber slither by.
As many of you know that lost feeling I have carefully torn apart almost everything in my basement, including the washer and drier. I have spread flour all over the floor. (My wife will freak when she finds out why there's flour all over the place!) Please notify the Doghouse, tell them I'm on my way
I have placed a small light on the floor with newspaper on it. Placed worms and Minnows in a small bowl. Created a snake trap with an empty plastic pop liter bottle with Minnows in it...
Would kindly ask for everyone's suggestions to help find Climber...
Thanks!
Jack

[zooplan]

Check this and good luck hunting!
http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets...g_a_Lost_Snake

[Lexa]

Can't offer you any tips I'm afraid, but good luck with finding him!

[infernalis]

AWE man! Do you have a big house?

Isolate escape areas, don't panic.

We have all had an escape, and many have happy endings, if thats any consolation.

Good luck Jack

[jitami]

Good luck Jack Everything crossed here for a quick re-capture!

[Snake lover 3-25]

good luck!!! hope you find him soon!!!!

you might want to place some sources of water down there too..... just around the traps so he doesn't get dehydrated

[infernalis]

Any news yet??

[Aundrea]

I have been wondering about this also? Any News? LOL

and how are the babies?

[GartersRock]

Count me in on wanting to be nosy!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol me too!!!